Hardwood Classics
by slowjam
Summary: Ellie returns to Degrassi to interview Dave and ends up running into an old friend.
1. Good idea

**Hardwood Classics**

She ascended the steps slowly, careful not to scuff her new shoes. Her heels clopped against the cement and she paused before pulling open the glass door.

It's been a long, long time.

Ellie was in town for her dad's birthday, so she volunteered to take on the story - an interview with Dave Turner, who would be going to Chapel Hill on a scholarship. The assignment wasn't too big of a stretch; her ex was a big Raptors fan, so she got sucked into the sport along with him. She had her questions, along with his stats and quotes from the scouts. It was a straightforward gig.

She was fifteen minutes early and the team was still practicing in the gym, so she walked around. The school had some slight interior changes, but overall it felt the same. Some students were scattered around the hallway, getting to club meetings or rush off to study groups for whatever pointless assignment they needed to do for English.

Trophies and pictures of Degrassi alumni gleamed in a glass case. Ellie didn't bother reading the names or looking at faces. She had no desire to leave her mark on the school. Her teachers might have kept a writing sample or two, but that's the only trace of her still around.

That, and her face on the mural.

Ellie laughed as she rounded the corner and saw her high school self immortalized in paint. Truthfully, she didn't look that much different, aside from the fact that she now kept her hair in a loose updo and took to wearing deep purple over black.

Footsteps and a familiar voice broke her from her reverie.

"Miss Elanor Nash."

"No way," she said incredulously. A smile crept upon her face as she turned around.

Jimmy grinned widely. "Stop staring and get over here, Ellie."

He kept his arms outstretched and Ellie returned the hug with enthusiasm, nearly knocking him over.

"God, I forgot how tall you were," Ellie said against his chest. She pulled away. "I see the surgery worked out well. What are you doing here?"

He nodded towards the gym, his face still holding a slight smile. "Assistant coach."

"Awesome." She pushed a stray lock behind her ear. "You guys had a great season."

He gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh. Um." Ellie pulled out her voice recorder. "I'm here to interview Dave. I'm in town for my dad's birthday and I figured I might as well..."

"Ah. Got it." He looked at his watch. "Well, you don't need me to show you where the gym is. I've got to go," he said as he pulled her in for a hug. "It was nice seeing you, Ellie."

"What, leaving so soon?"

He smiled. "My daughter gets cranky if I don't pick her up right away." He started down the hallway, still facing her. "We should catch up sometime. How long are you in town for?"

"Three days. And I'm sorry but you did just say 'daughter,' right?"

"I did, I did. We've got a lot of catching up to do," he laughed. "Call me sometime." He turned his back.

"I don't - I mean, I lost-"

"Dave can give it to you," Jimmy said before walking out the door. "He's a good kid."

Ellie sighed and began moving toward the gym. "Right, because that's not weird at all."

She opened the door to the sound of squeaking shoes and echoing voices. She found a spot on the bleachers and explained to the coach that she was here to interview Dave and she was fine with waiting, thanks. Ellie was still a little stunned from her run-in with Jimmy, anyway.

After graduation, she had only known Jimmy by talking to Ashley, and he seemed to be doing well from what bits and pieces she managed to hear. But that ended when Ash found her way back to Craig.

She didn't bother keeping in touch after that. Fate always seemed to smile upon other people.

Ellie looked around the gym. She recognized Dave from the articles she found and watched him intently as she recounted his movements onto a notepad.

They weren't friends when Jimmy was on the basketball team. She wondered if they could have been friends then. She wondered if he would have been a Dave Turner, if they'd still be friends now, if she had more than one friend from high school she could confide in. She wondered if they could be friends now, what she would say, how she would say it, if they would have anything to talk about after they caught up. She wondered if any of their other friends still talked to him, if she still talked to Jimmy after graduation, what would they be now? Would he have been sincere like Marco if she told him about seeing Craig in California, or would he have brought her back to earth with dry wit? Could she have came over to his place to clear her head every once in a while and maybe work on drawings like they did in high school? Did his place feel less lonely now that he had a family?

She looked down at her notepad. None of her notes were about Dave anymore.

Catching up seemed like a good idea.


	2. Maybe if you're free

Halfway into the interview, Ellie knew that Jimmy was right: Dave was a good kid. As the echoes of their laughter filled the empty gym, she knew she would have more than enough to work with.

"Okay, okay," she said, laughter subsiding. "Last question: Do any of your peers or family treat you differently now that you've become a bit of a basketball phenom?"

Dave shrugged. "Not really. I still have to cook dinner every Wednesday and my girlfriend still thinks I'm a huge dork. I'm thankful for that though - they keep me grounded. It's important to be realistic." He took a swig out of his water bottle. "You know, when I first started school here, I wanted nothing more than to be popular. In Grade 10 I stopped trying… there was no use in forcing it and trying to be like the kids in the in-crowd. Which is funny, because I shifted focus to my game, scored some points, and ended up being 'popular' anyway."

"Why the air quotes?"

"The only difference is more people say 'Hi' to me. I've also got a fan page on Facebook now."

Ellie smiled and clicked the recorder off. "That was great. I'm positive you'll go far in the states." She extended her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dave."

"Thank you so much," he said as he shook her hand. "It was nice meeting you, too."

Ellie lingered for a moment, debating whether or not to take Jimmy up on his offer. They hadn't spoken in a long time, but there were reasons behind that. She supposed those reasons have had enough time to fade out by now.

"So are you waiting for someone, or…?"

"Oh! Sorry, Dave." Ellie placed her tape recorder inside her purse. Maybe it would be better if she left any future interaction with Jimmy Brooks up to chance. "You probably need to get going, huh?"

"No actually," he said as his phone buzzed. He checked the screen. "My girlfriend won't be here for another ten minutes. She's my ride."

Ellie raised an eyebrow.

"So I let her borrow my car every once in a while… " he explained.

"That's sweet. Do you want me to keep you company while you wait?"

She figured she might as well ease into it instead of forcing it.

"As long as I'm not keeping you from being somewhere."

"Nope."

"Alright. Beats staring at a screen," he said, putting his phone in his pocket.

They were silent for a moment.

"You know, I used to go to Degrassi."

His face lit up. "Really? Nice. Did you know our Assistant Coach? His name is-"

"Jimmy Brooks. Yeah, sorta," she said. "I ran into him in the hallway. He told me he was going to pick up his daughter."

"Natasha. She's really cute. Coach brings her to the games sometimes." Dave's phone rang. "Excuse me."

Dave stood up to answer the call and began walking across the half-court line as if it was a tightrope. "Hey Alli."

Ellie pulled out her own phone in an attempt to keep herself from listening to his half of the conversation. She rested one end on her lip and thought about what Jimmy had said.

"You what? Tell me you're joking." The tightrope turned back into a painted line. "Please. "

He remained silent while the voice on the other line began talking faster and faster.

"Okay, calm down. It's fine, babe. Shh. Calm down." Dave scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not mad, I'm just surprised. Yes, that's my surprised voice. How bad is it?"

Dave frowned. Ellie tapped her phone against her chin.

"We'll get it fixed," he said. "No, just come straight here. Yes. Bye."

Dave exhaled slowly as he reclaimed his seat on the bleachers. Ellie continued to toy with the phone in her hands and looked back at Dave, who seemed to be searching for an answer in the opposite wall.

"I say you just call in a favor from someone in shop class," she offered. He met her eyes with surprise. "Couldn't help but eavesdrop. Maybe you could put that 'popularity' to good use."

Dave's face perked up. "Oh. Yeah, that could work. It'd probably be cheaper, too!" His tone grew more confident as he went on and he relaxed in his seat. "Yeah. Thanks for that."

Ellie smiled. "I had a boyfriend who was pretty good with cars. It had its perks."

"Sounds like it would," he replied, trying to hold back a smirk. Ellie pretended not to notice and turned her attention back to her phone. She stared at her faint reflection in the screen.

"So…" She placed the phone down on the bench. "How is Coach Brooks doing, anyway?"

Ellie hoped she didn't sound too interested. Dave looked at her with diluted amusement.

"Uh, I guess he's doing pretty good. Being a single dad must be tough, though."

She wasn't sure what to say to that. Her mouth parted slightly and she took a sharp breath. Her reaction was barely noticeable, but Dave picked up on it. He tried his best to understand.

"You and Coach…"

"-were friends," Ellie responded firmly. "Friends. Really good friends until some stuff happened. Then we just drifted apart."

Dave nodded and eyed her solemnly. She didn't want to put him through all of the details of her adolescent life, things she hadn't thought about unless something brought her back and reignited how she felt when she was still in high school. Sometimes she would be brought back with a photograph or an old story Marco mentioned in passing, but it was nothing like seeing an old friend again. Someone who didn't break her heart.

She felt vulnerable under the high schooler's gaze. "He uh, he told me we should catch up sometime and that you had his number," she said, attempting to thin the air between them.

Dave seemed to be searching her with his eyes, asking questions without putting them into words. A ghost of a smile made its way onto his face as he decided he knew enough. "Yeah, I have it," he responded as he nonchalantly pulled out his phone. Dave tapped on the screen a few times before handing it over to her. "I hope you put that number to good use."

This time he smiled warmly and she couldn't help but do the same, glancing at him while she copied the number into her phone. "Thanks, Dave."

"Not a problem at all," he said as he put the phone back in his pocket.

Ellie returned to playing with her phone in her hands, content with being able to reach Jimmy later.

"So, moving away from my days in high school…" she began as he seemed to catch onto her light mood, "tell me how high school has been treating you." Ellie set her phone down. "I'm assuming a dented car isn't the worst thing you've done."

He grinned. "This is all off the record, right?"

"Of course."

They swapped stories until his girlfriend arrived, Tim Hortons in tow. Ellie waved goodbye to Dave and Alli and watched the dented bumper disappear as it turned a corner.

She dialed the number as she began walking to her car. He answered on the third ring.

"Hey Jimmy, it's Ellie. No, I'm just getting ready to leave Degrassi. Home. Yeah, I was hoping we could, maybe, if you're free…"


End file.
